The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-12-07


wildcat. A few yards from him lay
his coolie, with the charpoy on him
smashed in half He was roaring out:
The leopard is eating me-. A little
further off lay jackal writhins with
a dozen slugs in him. Ipicked up the
coolie and helped my friend by knock
ing over the monkey with the broken
leg of the charpoy. After this little
upset we lit cheroots and walked back
to our tents. which were pitched about
two miles of.
Ram Bsx, our shikarri, had given
notice to all the natives around that if
the leopard appeared and carried off
any thing information was to be sent
to our camp before any pursuit was
made. One evening we were at our
tent door after dinner, smoking, when
we observed on the other side of the
river a Ghoorkha coming down the hills
at great speed. At the river bank he
inflated a sheepskin which he carried,
and crossed the rapid stream on it
just as we see on their wall carving
that the Assyr1ans of old did-being
carried down about a quarter of mile
by the current. On landing he was
met by Ram Bex. who had run out on
seeing him approach. They walked
toward us, the Ghoorkha gesticulating
violently, and we heard the followin 2
story:
1.-The Ghoorkha lived in hut about
a mile from our camp, higher up the
river. and only hundred yards from
the water. He had been out for the
day on his duty, which was that of a
government runner. leaving at home
his wife, his baby in arms, and little
girl about six years old. The wife had
gone to the stream for water, leaving
the baby at the hut door. The little
girl had disappeared, and had without
doubt been carried off by the leopard.
The Ghoorkha found its footm arks on
soft bit of ground, and fastened to us
without attempting pursuit in the
dense jungle. Ram Bex decided that
it was too late 10 start that night,
but asked us to be ready an hour be-
fore daylight In the meantime he
sent to the next village for twenty
coolies. who were engaged as heaters
at eight cents head. On turning out
in the starlight next morning l saw
that our followers and beaters had
each got some instrument for making
noise. There were tin kettles, tom
toms. bells and an old matchbox or
two. l and my two friends crossed the
river on plank dashed across two in
fated buffllo skins, which kept
our guns and powder high out
OF water The beaters came over
in all sorts of ways, some swimming.
some clinging to inflated sheepskins.
When we reached The Ghoorkha's hut,
the whole of our beaters were ex-
tended in line, l stanling in the
middle, at the spot where the Ghoor-
kha had found traces of the leopard.
The poor Ghoorkha himself, and Ram
Bex, leading Brinjarry dog in
string, were with me, each of them
carrying a spade. At given signal
the whole line started. The heaters
yelled, whistled, rang bells and beat
tom toms. making noise enough to
drive away every leopard within
twelve miles. The dog kept steadily
to the scent, but our progress at
times was very slow through the
dense bamboo jungle.
"After proceeding about mile the
dog became very eager dashed for
ward. and was not easily held in. In
fifty more yards We came TO the place
where the brute had been supping.
The mangled remains of the little
girl lay about, only half eaten, and
the ogre must have been scared by
our noise. Without losing q nom ent
the Ghoorkha and Ram Bex set to
work and dug a trench under a tree
to leeward of the child's remains.
piling up some branches between
them and the trench. Into this we
jumped. The Ghoorkha departed
with his dog in the direction taken by
the rest of the party, who kept up the
same discordant din as they moved
away.
Ram Bex now told me that the
leopard would think from the passing
away of the noise that the whole party
had gone on, and would be sure to re-
turn in m hour or two to 60 on with
his interrupted feast. We must be
quiet, for the brute was very cunning,
and the slightest sound or smell would
send him off and destroy our chance of
getting shot at him. After waiting
an hour pulled out my cigar case,
but the shikarri forbade smoking by
gestures, neither of us speak
ng 1 had largo double-barrel
smooth bore No. -. loaded with slugs.
1t full cock in my hand. Ram Bex
nad my breech-loading rifle with a
arge conical shell in it. In addition
% these we had each Ghoorkha
sookrie and revolver. 1t was now nine
N the morning. The noise OF our
party had died away over the hills for
IN hour or more. I remember as if it
we're yesterday how l had my eyes
liked on the movements of a regiment
If white ants. who were piling them
selves over the bloody fragments
# The poor child that lay about ten
,ards from me. Suddenly Ram Bex